What should i do to improve my english communication skills?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around strategies for improving English communication skills, particularly for a non-native speaker. Participants explore various methods including reading, writing, and engaging with native speakers, while addressing vocabulary, grammar, and handwriting challenges.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that reading the dictionary is not an effective way to improve communication skills, advocating instead for reading modern literature.
  • One participant recommends reading works by authors such as Stephen King, Orson Scott Card, and Tolkien to enhance familiarity with English.
  • Another participant mentions "The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau" as a good reading option, noting its accessible grammar and storytelling.
  • Some argue that consistent communication with native speakers is crucial for improvement, along with reading reputable newspapers like The Economist.
  • Several participants emphasize the importance of writing practice, suggesting keeping a journal or writing letters to improve both handwriting and grammar.
  • One participant highlights that a non-native speaker only needs to master around 5,000 word families to be considered fluent, suggesting a focus on comfort with known vocabulary rather than acquiring new words.
  • There are suggestions to watch TV shows or films to understand language use in context, although one participant notes this may not help with handwriting improvement.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that reading and writing are effective methods for improving English skills, but there is no consensus on the best materials or methods to use. Some advocate for literature, while others suggest practical communication with native speakers. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the most effective approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying opinions on the effectiveness of different reading materials and methods, indicating a lack of consensus on the best practices for improving English communication skills.

smart_worker
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Well many people in this forum suggested me to improve my English in many of my threads. So I am looking forward to do that. Should i read the whole dictionary? Which books should i start reading? I am also weak in grammar. One more thing I am also bad in my English handwriting. Well I have 2 months of holiday before the next semester starts off. So please tell me how should i use this time to improve my vocabulary. If there are also videos in English,please provide the link.:smile:
 
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Reading the dictionary, that is, simply improving your vocabulary in such an artificial way will not help your communication, as using a handful of large words will just sound awkward. Honestly, I would recommend sitting down and reading some books. I don't mean textbooks, which are typically formal and focused on equations and numbers. Instead, I would just read some modern day books, Fiction or non Fiction as it does not really matter. For instance, you could read some Stephen King, Orson Scot Card, or Tolkein. This may sound strange, but I was able to score very well on the ACT English and reading sections as a result of my extensive reading background. Also, in my AP English course writing essays was a breeze, as my sentence fluency was already on point. Again, the type of literature is not important, so long as the books are written in modern English. With time I'm sure your familiarity with English and thus your sentence flow will improve. As for the handwriting, simply put pen to paper and write more.
Source for grammar information: http://www.grammar-monster.com/
TL DR: Read books, you will naturally gain confidence in your English skills! Only use the dictionary to look up unfamiliar words.
 
smart_worker said:
Well many people in this forum suggested me to improve my English in many of my threads. So I am looking forward to do that. Should i read the whole dictionary? Which books should i start reading? I am also weak in grammar. One more thing I am also bad in my English handwriting. Well I have 2 months of holiday before the next semester starts off. So please tell me how should i use this time to improve my vocabulary. If there are also videos in English,please provide the link.:smile:

If you want something to read and reading on a monitor is not too terrible, try this: The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The grammar is very good and the story should be easy to follow. Although perhaps it is a bit boring or odd at times but it should help because it isn't too complicated. He was a famous philosopher who was almost totally self-absorbed, so it shouldn't be surprising that he wrote such a book.

If you want a physical book, an option is one of the Maude translations of Tolstoy (some are online here). Maude's English is also very good so I recommend that as well.
 
smart_worker said:
Well many people in this forum suggested me to improve my English in many of my threads. So I am looking forward to do that. Should i read the whole dictionary? Which books should i start reading? I am also weak in grammar. One more thing I am also bad in my English handwriting. Well I have 2 months of holiday before the next semester starts off. So please tell me how should i use this time to improve my vocabulary. If there are also videos in English,please provide the link.:smile:
Reading the dictionary would be pointless, although it's good to refer to it if you aren't sure about the meaning of a word. If your goal is to improve your written English, then I agree with the others that reading is the best way to achieve this. It doesn't have to be a book - even a well written website would be fine.

Once upon a time I might have suggested reading a newspaper, but most of them are so poorly edited these days that they may actually degrade the reader's English. A happy exception to this is The Economist, which is still generally a model of clear writing.

By the way, from what I have read of your posts, I don't think your English is all that bad. Your grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure could use some refinement, but I don't have any problem understanding you, unlike some posters I've read. :-p Your English is certainly adequate for posting here.
 
smart_worker said:
Well many people in this forum suggested me to improve my English in many of my threads. So I am looking forward to do that. Should i read the whole dictionary? Which books should i start reading? I am also weak in grammar. One more thing I am also bad in my English handwriting. Well I have 2 months of holiday before the next semester starts off. So please tell me how should i use this time to improve my vocabulary. If there are also videos in English,please provide the link.:smile:

Well, you could always read good English literature. This will introduce you to different styles of English writing, and you may get a chance to practice your English grammar some.

I'm afraid that handwriting is something one must work on assiduously, whatever language you are writing in. It is a manual skill, after all, which demands constant practice for one to retain fluidity and clarity. I was never a big fan of handwriting personally, and I find extended periods of handwriting rather tiresome.

If you want to get better at handwriting and English grammar simultaneously, you should probably start writing letters to English-speaking friends or keep a journal. If you read an article or story, write an essay about it or about some particular idea which interests you.
 
To improve your english communication skills you need to communicate with native english speakers on a consistent basis, period. Read newspapers like the economist, wall street journal. You should also start getting into the habit of reading books. Observe the native english speakers and try to emulate some of the mannerisms which you find useful. Get into the habit of writing and maintaining a daily journal. Last but not least you might want to join an improv class or public speaking course.

For good grammar and writing skills you might find this helpful...

1 On Writing Well.( You can find a pdf online for free )
2 Elements of style ( Shrunk & White )
3 http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl
 
Hello,

I am a native speaker of English so I do not fully know your position. But I self-taught some Greek and studied English Linguistics for 2 years, including how people learn English as a second language.

If I remember correctly, a native English speaker at university has about 25 000 'word families'. Think of a word family as a root word like 'eat', with relatives like 'eats, eating, eaten, ate' etc.

A non-native English speaker at an English university has about 5 000 word families - this is all that is really needed to be able to be considered fluent. This is because most language uses very similar words over and over. For example, the majority of words in a textbook are the same as a textbook in another subject, and special technical words are not used so often.

So, I would not worry too much about learning many new words but become very comfortable with the words you do know already, so maybe try and learn from different contexts.

I would watch TV shows or films of different types whose language you can understand, in order to learn the words and sentences better, by learning their use in different contexts.

Remember: it is almost always a sentence and not a word on its own that conveys meaning, and sentences depend on context.

Good luck.

P.S. If you only want to improve reading and handwriting, then my idea for films and TV shows is not very good!
 
smart_worker said:
Well many people in this forum suggested me to improve my English in many of my threads. So I am looking forward to do that. Should i read the whole dictionary? Which books should i start reading? I am also weak in grammar. One more thing I am also bad in my English handwriting. Well I have 2 months of holiday before the next semester starts off. So please tell me how should i use this time to improve my vocabulary. If there are also videos in English,please provide the link.:smile:


Study English grammar. Find a book called something like, "A programmed textbook on English Grammar and Usage", or it may include in the title, "English 3200", written by someone called Blumenthal. You can later practice what you study through writing questions and responding to posts on physicsforums.
 

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